Are Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder Overrated?

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be the NBA's new flavor of the month, as most observers expect them to improve on last season's impressive finish, and even possibly challenge for the Western Conference crown.

The Thunder have a talented nucleus in Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green, and the trio led the young franchise to a 50-32 regular season record, and the eighth seed in the playoffs.

Oklahoma City would later lose in the first round to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, but the Game 6 loss did little to temper the excitement surrounding the potential of the team.

Many people feel the Thunder are ready to take the next step in their development despite their inexperience, but before Oklahoma City can be considered a legitimate contender, some issues should be addressed.

Durant is one of the NBA's premier scoring talents and Westbrook has become a viable second option, but what happens if both players are bottled up defensively for a significant period of time?

Who is the third option?

Green would be the likely candidate, but the series against the Lakers proved that he may not be ready to assume that mantle, because under the heat of playoff pressure Green was atrocious.

Green averaged 11.8 points per game in the first round, but it came on 32 percent shooting from the field, and an even worse 24 percent from the three-point line.

Other than Durant, Westbrook, and Green, no other member of the Thunder's team managed to average double digits in points scored during the series.

In fact, the series with the Lakers exposed various flaws in the Thunder's make-up, and all of them can't be solely attributed to youth.

Considering Durant led the NBA in scoring, the thought of an opponent containing him throughout a playoff series would seem implausible at first, but Lakers forward Ron Artest offered the rest of the league a blueprint to follow.

Durant's perimeter offensive game is nearly flawless and he is able to get his shot off with only the tiniest sliver of space, but Artest clearly bothered him with his physical play.

Durant averaged 25 points per game in the Lakers series, but Artest made him work for every one of them.

Artest harassed Durant at every turn, and his 35 percent shooting average during the course of the series was only a reflection of the frustration Durant suffered at Artest's hands.

Westbrook was actually the Thunder's best player in the postseason, averaging 20.5 points per game, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds, while shooting 47 percent from the field.

Westbrook took turns abusing Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown, and the only way the Lakers were able to slow him down was by switching Kobe Bryant on defense.

Bryant's height bothered Westbrook, and once his penetration was taken away he was forced to rely on his mid-range jump shot, which is still a work in progress.

Westbrook's jump shot is improving as evidenced by his play for Team USA this summer, but against a team like the Lakers the battle will be fought, and won in the interior.

Lakers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum dominated the Thunder in the post, and combined to average 30 points and 21 rebounds, while shooting 55 percent from the field through the course of the series.

Bynum was able to remain relevant in the series even after tearing the meniscus in his knee, and although the Thunder's big men were competitive, they were clearly overmatched.

Oklahoma City has decent size in the post with players like Nenad Krstic, Nick Collison, and Serge Ibaka, but none of those players can be considered as difference-makers in the paint.

Draft pick Cole Aldrich, at 6'11", gives the Thunder more height up front, but it's doubtful his presence alone will have a significant impact on Oklahoma City's post players.

The Lakers added size at the point guard position in Steve Blake, and they signed Matt Barnes, another player who can guard either Durant or Westbrook on defense.

Los Angeles also added Theo Ratliff, a 6'11" veteran with a defensive tilt to his game and a reputation as a shot blocker, which is backed up by a career 2.2 blocks per game average.

Assuming Bryant and Bynum can return healthy, the Lakers will prove to be a very difficult mountain for the Thunder to hurdle, and they may find the rest of the conference even less inviting.

The element of surprise is gone for Oklahoma City in 2010-11, and although other Western teams may not present the same type of matchup problems as the Lakers, they will have a better idea on how to defend them.

Keep in mind that despite the Thunder's impressive season, they were still only the eighth seed in the West, and of the seven teams ahead of them, only three face real questions entering next season.

The Phoenix Suns were last year's conference runner-up, but the loss of Amare Stoudemire in free agency to the New York Knicks changes the complexion of their team.

Al Jefferson may be able to replace Carlos Boozer in Utah, but how will the Jazz adjust to the losses of Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Brewer in free agency as well?

The Denver Nuggets should once again be one of the top teams in the West, but that depends solely on whether or not Carmelo is as adamant about vacating the premises as he seems.

Oklahoma City is capable of eclipsing either of those teams, but they are still probably a level below teams like Portland, Dallas, and San Antonio.

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies may figure in the postseason picture as well, considering the Clippers will benefit from the return of Blake Griffin from injury, and the Grizzlies were in the thick of the playoff race last season.

Oklahoma City does have a chance to turn even more heads this season behind the play of Durant and Westbrook, but winning the Western Conference may be a little out of their reach.

The future is very bright for the Thunder's franchise, and management has done a brilliant job of building the roster around young, talented players but there are still holes to be filled.